
Originally Posted by
nortonwhis
54L holy smokes.
Thats like 2 boards in one

Yeah, it's got some volume alright.
I got in a session this am north of the HB pier.
It was about stomach high and a bit bumpy, so nothing to write home about. This is supposed to be a board for the soft days.
I absolutely had a blast on it, although I'm definitely still figuring it out.
A few observations:
1) That nose really planes nicely. You want to be a bit far up on it when paddling into waves, a bit further up than I originally thought. When I moved a bit forward it felt like it really started planing. It takes an extra paddle or two compared to a funshape with similar volume, but catches waves WAAAY more easily than my everyday board.
2) It accelerates much more quickly than a funboard of similar volume. However, it also loses speed more quickly. I have a 6'8" funshape which has the same volume, 54 liters. The funshape paddles a bit easier, although not a ton. When you get up the funshape glides and trims more easily. This new board is squirty, it accelerates and glides in gutless surf, but you have to rock it and pump it a bit more to get it going, it will get going and then slow down in situations where a funshape would continue to glide and trim.
That being said, you really don't have to pump it aggressively, light pumps will make it really glide, you just have to work it a bit more than a funshape. It feels like it accelerates more quickly than a funshape, which may be feel and just an illusion, but that it also decelerates more quickly, which I think is accurate.
3) The same way you want to be forward in paddling, you want to ride it with a forward stance. From what I could tell, when you are a bit more forward in your stance it engages the flat, front section of the board, and you get some speed with just a light pump. To turn it you stand back on the tail, but honestly I didn't do much turning, just gliding through soft sections and floating off soft lips.
It's a great board for a soft HB day, where you want to stay in it through the mushy sections and get to the inside.
I'm sure some of what I said was wrong, but those are just early observations. It took me a couple of waves to start liking it, but I'm already pumped to ride it again. There is nothing on the horizon swell wise, so this might be a good opportunity to get a feel for the board.
I think a chest high, soft pointbreak with good shape would be ideal for this thing.
Soul Skier,
That looks like an awesome trip. I imagine worth the hassle, although I would guess it takes quite a bit to get there. That wave looks like it has some juice!
"Have you ever seen a monk get wildly fucked by a bunch of teenage girls?" "No" "Then forget the monastery."
"You ever hear of a little show called branded? Arthur Digby Sellers wrote 156 episodes. Not exactly a lightweight." Walter Sobcheck.
"I didn't have a grandfather on the board of some fancy college. Key word being was. Did he touch the Filipino exchange student? Did he not touch the Filipino exchange student? I don't know Brooke, I wasn't there."
Bookmarks